Adrian

Don't worry.

While Adrian dozed off, the rest of the family enjoyed the ride on the backroads. Miles and miles they drove, past lush fall forests. A fun new pop song played on the radio, which Vivian began to sing to. The two up front giggled and danced as best they could in their seats. The song ended and another one started to play. "God, I hate this song. It's all about sex. It shouldn't be on public radio for kids to hear." Daniel said. Vivian chuckled at his remark "Oh, c'mon. These days it seems you're born knowing about it." Rodney leaned in on the arm rest with a big grin on his face. "Ha! I know I was." Vivian rolled her eyes and shooed him away. "If you don't like the song, then change it." Vivian said. Daniel reached for the knob on the steroe and scrolled through the stations. 'Just keep on livin' , a song from the 80s, was playing on a station he skipped. "Hey! Go back. I love that song." Vivian said. "Hold on a sec, I wanna see what else is on." Daniel shot back and Vivian huffed. He scrolled through a few more stations. While he was focused on the radio, Daniel noticed his front tire go flat and lost control of the car. The 2,000 pound vehicle skid across the second lane, hit the guardrail, and rolled off the side of the path. The car continued to roll down the steep slope of the hill, until finally it reached the bottom as nothing more than a mashed pile of metal. There was a moment of complete silence as everyone in the car was unconscious. Then suddenly, Vivian began to scream.  Daniel was leant over with his head against the steering wheel. He lay there dead, covered in blood. More of the red liquid sprayed from the gash in his neck. “Daniel! Oh my god...what do I do...what do I do?” She looked towards the torn up back seat and saw the kids laying still, Adrian half covered by her blanket. Vivian unbuckled her seat belt and climbed into the back. She checked each of them for injury. Rodney had small cuts all over his face and body from the glass of the near windows. Adrian, on the other hand, had nothing more than a small red mark on her forehead.
Vivian shook them both gently, in hopes of them waking up. They each rocked their heads and groaned. “Ugh...Mom...I- I hurt.” Rodney said in a soft whisper. “I know honey. Try not to move.”
Vivian sat back down in her seat, and felt her phone in her pocket. She pulled it out and checked for service. Nothing. “Damn!” She sighed and looked back at the kids. Both of them had been startled by her curse. “Hey guys, I need to see if I can get some service. Adrian, are you okay? Can you watch your brother for me, just for a sec?”
“Yeah. I guess.” She gently squeezed Rodney’s hand to assure him. “Don’t go far okay?”
“I won’t,” Vivian said as she began to climb out of the car “I’ll stay within yelling distance. Just don’t move.” She caught a glimpse of Daniel in the mirror and whimpered slightly. She took her jacket off and placed it over the top half of the body, then grabbed the keys. “Make sure you guys don’t move. I’m serious. Okay?”
“Okay.” they both replied, annoyed.
Vivian left the vehicle and did a dance with her phone, trying to find service. "Shit!" She yelled and kicked the dirt. She sat on a rock and rubbed her face. After a moment Vivian walked to the back of the car and started messing with the trunk.
Rodney lifted his head from the headrest and scoped out the scene. “Hey...dad.” There was no reply. Rodney tried to reach into the front but instantly regretted it as he yelped in pain and fell back. “Vi-er- Mom said not to move, okay. I’ll wake him up.” Adrian climbed onto the armrest and began to stretch out her arm. “No!” Vivian screamed through the broken window. “What…? What’s wrong?” Adrian's eyes went wide in horror as quickly pulled back the fabric to reveal the wretched scene. “Dad!Oh my god!” She screamed. In a quick motion Adrian climbed into the front seat, stuck her head out the window, and puked. “Adrian, honey. I-I told you not to move.” Vivian rushed to her, stepped over the mess, and grabbed a napkin out of glovebox. She wiped Adrian’s mouth and gave her a concerned look. “What happened? What’s wrong?” Rodney asked nervously. “Baby, you’re father got hurt. He..." her voice became weak "...didn’t make the crash.” Rodney looked away and began to sob. “I know it’s hard, but we can make it through this. Just...stay strong." Vivian helped Adrian out of the car with her bag, then crawled to the back for Rodney. She unlocked the door and gently pressed it open. Broken glass rained on the ground. “Okay, Rod, I know you’re hurting, so don't worry. Just take your time.”
Slowly, Rodney began to sit forward. With each movement he winced. “I’ll try, but I’m not gonna like it.” He gave a weak smile and climbed cautiously out of the car. Vivian helped him over to a clear patch of grass and lowered him. “So what do we do now?” Adrian asked. “Our best bet is to try and get back to the road and find cell service.” Vivian pulled out her phone and waved it around a few times. Still no luck. "Why can't we stay here and wait?" Rodney asked. "Because we took the scenic route, which means we're a long way from the next town. It could be hours before another car drives by, and the likelyhood of one of them stopping is slim." Rodney looked down.
“Okay, which direction do we go?” Adrian joins in.
“I'm not entirely sure, honey, but we're not going to be able to climb this hill,” she eyes Rodney for a moment then checks her watch. "Okay, it’s only noon. We should have about seven or eight hours of light left. Maybe we can find a path." Vivian said as she moved towards Rodney. She gently wrapped his arm around her shoulder and eased him up. "Thanks, but I think I can walk myself." Rod said and removed his arm. Vivian gave him a concerned look. "Mom, I swear. I'm okay" Rod winced as he took a step "Honestly. Just...stay close, okay?" Vivian still looked worried, but nodded anyway. Adrian began rummaging through her bag and grabbed out her notebook and pen. They both turned and looked at her questionally. "I'm writing a note in case anyone finds us. Duh." She rolls her eyes. "That's a good Idea, Adrian. Thank you." Vivian said. Adrian scribbled on the paper then placed it on the passenger seat with a rock to hold it down. She paused there for a moment, staring at her father. "I'm hungry, did we have any snacks packed?" Rodney asked rubbing his stomach. "A few things, but I can't get the trunk open. The lock must've got busted in the crash." Rodney sighs. "C'mon, lets go." Vivian ushered Rod away from the car. Adrian snapped out of her trance and joined them.